Handle carton



Oct. 11, 1960 P. c. coLLuRA 2,955,739

HANDLE CARTON Filed Aug. 20, 1957 United States Patent O HANDLE CARTON Filed Aug. zo, 1957, ser. No. 679,317

l1 claim. (ci. zz9sz) This invention relates to folding cartons and more particularly to a form of carton provided with a carrying handle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sturdy and effective handle carton which can be formed from a single blank of foldable paperboard, and which can be manufactured on standard folding and gluing equipment, and set up, loaded and sealed by conventional carton loading machines.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carton with an integral handle structure which may be formed at the same time that other parts of the carton are being adhesively connected.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a reinforced handle for a tubular shaped, folding carton that may be secured in place at the manufacturers joint as the carton is being glued in flat, collapsed form.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be come apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing the carton of the present invention as it appears in set-up condition with the handle strip raised;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 2 2 of Fig. l; l

Fig. 3 is a plan View of a preferred form of blank from which the carton may be made:

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the carton showing it partially folded;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the carton as it appears near the final stage of its manufacture in which the handle strip is ready to be foldedV over to its `linal glued position; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of theV completed carton in at, collapsed form. Y

The carton of the present invention, as herein disclosed, comprises a single blan'k of foldable paperboard with bottom, side walls, and a composite top wall which is formed of two overlapping sections which are carried on the upper edges of the side walls. The top wall sections carry aps which form a part of the end closure of the carton. The lateral edges of the end closure flaps are joined to a narrow panel which provides a handle strip. Openings are formed in the ends of the top closure sections and these openings extend into the closure flaps. The openings are wider than the handle strip and the handle strip is in registration with the openings so that, as the central part of the handle is lifted, portions near the ends of the handle adjacent the ends of the top wall sections may enter the openings and facilitate movement of the central part of the handle away from the top wall for ease in carrying the carton by hand.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Fig. 3 shows a form of at blank from which the present carton is preferably made. This blank is suitably cut and creased to provide a bottom wall 10, side walls 11 and 12 dened from the vwall 10 by crease lines 13 and 14. Attached to the side walls along crease lines 15 and 16 ice are top wall sections 17 and 18. These sections are preferably each somewhat wider than one-half the width of the carton so they can be overlapped and suitably secured together as by means of adhesive to form a composite top-wall, section 17 being the outer sectionfand section 18 being the inner section in the area of overlap.

End closure aps 19, 19 and 20, 20 are hingedly related to the respective top wall sections 17 and 18 and serve partially to close the ends of the carton. These end closure flaps are preferably held in their closed position by securing them adhesively to flaps 23, 23 and 24, 24 hinged to the side walls. Additional end flaps 25, 25 are preferably hinged to the ends of bottom wall 10. The ilaps 19, 20, 23, 24 and 25 are defined from their attached walls by crease or fold lines 26, 26 preferably ex.` tending the entire length of the blank.

The handle strip, indicated as a whole at 28, may be made of a single thickness of board, but preferably is composed of at least two thicknesses. For this purpose two strip elements 29 and 30 are provided at the end of the blank dened from each other by a fold line 31. The strip element 29 is hingedly joined to the edges of the end closure flaps 19, 19 along fold lines 32, 32 which may be either in the form of crease lines or a series of closely spaced cuts. Likewise, the fold line between strip elements 29 and 3i) may be in the form of closely spaced cuts to cause the strips when folded together to lie in close contact. The line 27 dividing the handle strip element 29 from the central portion of the top section 17 may be a complete cut, but preferably is formed as a series of cuts slightly separated by small nicks, whereby the action of folding the strip element 29 with respect to the top section 17 will cause severance of the strip element from the top section.

As will be seen by comparison of Figs. 3 and 4, the strip element 29 will have adhesive applied thereto after which strip element 30 is folded to lie llat against strip element 29. Simultaneously, or in close sequence, the top section 18 and side wall 12 will be folded along crease line 14-and brought flatwise against bottom 10. and side wall 11. Adhesive may then be applied to the inside surface of the area 33 of the top section 17 and areas 34, 34 of the closure flaps 19, after which the handle strip 28, now of double thickness, and the top section 17 will be folded around line 15 so that the glued area 33 of section 17 and areas 34, 34 of the flaps 19, 19 will come to rest on similar areas at the free edge of to section 18 and closure flaps 20, 20. See Fig. 5. I

For the purpose of enabling the central part of handle 28 to be lifted away from the composite top Wall formed of the joined top sections 17 and 18 there are formed cut-away areas 35, 35 and 36, 36. The cuts 35, 35 are formed so as to intersect fold lines 26, 26 in the areas of flaps 19, 19 and top section 17 adjacent handle strip element 29. The cuts 36, 36 are formed at the opposite edge of the blank to intersect the fold line 26 so that such cuts extend both into the areas of the top section 18 and closure aps 28, 20. These two sets of cut away portions are preferably formed so that the pairs 35, 36 will be in registration with each other when the carton is folded together with the top sections secured in overlapping relation. As best shown in Fig. l, the cut out portions are made wide enough to receive the handle strip.

After the carton has been brought to the condition illustrated in Fig. 5, adhesive may then be applied to areas 38, 38 on the outside surfaces of .closure flaps 19, 19, after4 which the handle strip 28, comprising the two elements 29 and 30 in face to face contact, is folded over so that its end portions will come to rest upon the glued areas 38, 38, as shown in Fig. 6. The carton yis 3 nowVY in :itsfcompleted,lful1y collapsed, tubular lcondition readyorrlelivery to thelpacken Y t While the carton may be .used for various commodities it is particularly suitable for the packaging of canned aandgbeverages-jilnthe :forni of carton illustrated sixrcylinilrical oans will-tbe inserted into the fcartonfafter itiaslheeniexpanded vinto tubular vform andwith .one `or -both ,endsieleft' open atozreceive 4kthe cans,A preferably with their'laxesnormal :to the'fbttom and top walls. When Y.thez'carton isloaded` theiends will be closed. 'This 1may be conveniently doneby ,folding downward fthenowfcom-Y posite topfclo'sure aps 19, 2'0 and :19, 20 at opposite :endsf of .the carton, Ythen 'applying adhesive tolapsf23 Vand 24pm sidewalls 11 and 212" and folding :these flaps inward, .after whiehadhesive may -be'a'pplied to fbottomeilaps 25 Y 2'5.a;ndathesefaps folded' up fand` secured to the adjoining aps'l23 vand 24. The carton is-now 4in iilled form ready :to 1be delivered to retail outlets.

.The central ,part of tl'ieh'andle strip 28 --Will originally be disposed to lierat'zagainst the top wall, and the`por` tions near the ,ends ofthe han'dle strip will be folded to conform with the contour of the 'closed end wallrstructure and top wall. 'When it isdesired to lift Vthe lled carton 'by the handle it is only necessary to grasp the center portion of the strip and raise it. This action causes the Y.portions near the ends of the handlestrip to move inward into ,the cut out openings, giving amplespace in the 'central part to :accommodate the fingers of the person deliring -to carry the carton.

lnorderrto r accommodate the end portions of the `vihandle Yand provide fora relatively smooth end structure for the:.carton,'the side wall end closure flaps 23, 23 mayV lhavetheir end portions suitably cut away as indicated at Y4o, 40. Y Y

The particular method and sequence 'of stepsin gluing Vor otherwise securing the various panels together forms Y noparrt of the present invention. Vand gluing sequence may be employed, iirst, inthe for- Y Any convenient` folding mation of the ilat, collapsed tubular Vcarton and, second,

inthe securing of the end wall il-aps. Y

The Yconstruction of carton herein disclosed provides a reinforced handle for a collapsed, Vilat carton which isY arrangedto lie substantially flat against the folded carton :during the timeit-is in ,storage awaiting-use. The cari'on'may be set up, filled .and closed by existing carton and closing machinerywith little orvno adjustment lof the machinery '.to accommodate the handle feature, and

the filled cartons may readily behandledand stacked or fgrouped within larger containers according to customary procedures.

When the carton is used for -round cans packed in two rows of three cans each with their axes normal to the top wall, there will be small spaces left between the curvature V,2,955,739 Y w y i Y,

` cans, as the endportions of the handle, iiponmioving of--the cans at the ends. of the carton. Advantage is taken of this -arrangementwhen the carton is thus lled with Y, outer top wall section,

. inward when the central part of the handle is raised, ,tend Y to move between the adjacent curved areas of the end cans at the top of thercarton.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention,` various changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, `and'it'isftherefore desired that the present embodimentjbeconsidercdgin all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended la'imsfrathelian ztcfthe@foregoing description to lindicate thescope'lfthe invention. Y Y

I claim:

Y Y A handleearfton'fformediof foldablepaperboard and comprising hingedly connected bottom and two side Walls, a top wall v"'section':hinged'on the upper edge of each side Wall, said sections being secured in overlapping relation to form a composite top Wall providing in the area of overlap ,an Ai:r1n ertop wallrsection and an outer top wall section, iwherehyihe carton may be formed as la at collapsed tube, end closure llapsY extendingtfrom Aopposite ends v of. each ofjthe top, wall sections, -each iiap beinghjnged to lits top ,.wall'section along Va told line, means for securingsaid closure flaps inend closingposi- .tion-when the oartonris set up, ananow elongated handle strip Y disposed in generally :parallel relation with 'the tubular Yaxis of the carton along thezoute'r top -wall section and having .its end ,portions extended beyond theen'ds of `the wall'section,V eachsuch end portion of the handle strip being integrally hinged along a lateral Yedge to respective lateral edges of lthe end closure '-'aps on the adjacent portions of each top Wall section 'and ,each attached end closure ilap being cut `awayvtoviorm registering openings at each end of the carton forthe reception of the handle s 'p, such openings-extending a substantial distance on each side of the upper corner yportions of the carton katriihe ,angle formed by the overlapped 'top wall sections and closure iiaps, the handle strip being folded over to lie against theo'uter 1 top wall :section and with its end portions 'disposed'ilatwise against the end closure aps to Vwhich such end portions of .the handle strip are integrally hinged, and means for adhesively joining such'handle vstrip end portions in at relationto the respective attached end closure 

